August 2011 Archives

Why is it that software companies
assume everyone on the network is an IT person?

Just look at the vast majority of
network management software, or even general enterprise business software and
even IT-savvies typically still need a training course or two to get up to
speed. When it comes to helpdesk - I mean just think about the average call
centre person you deal with - why should that person have IT written all the way
through them?

Such is the reasoning behind the
release of Sostenuto CSM by the guys at Sunrise Software - a customer service management
solution built from one of my favourite frameworks of the decade (Sostenuto -
see various reports on the Broadband-Testing website for proof of this). I popped
down to the Sunrise offices in Chessington recently for a demo, eschewing the
attractions of the zoo and the theme park in favour of the Sunrise offices,
principally because I knew they'd take me for a pint afterwards .Mind - thanks to
the wonder that isn't the British rail network, it took me over three hours to
do a 40 minute journey - so, not too bad you're thinking - so it was a good job
that the software is so easy to demo that we still made the pub (just about) on
time.

The idea is that, to date, CSM
solutions are too long-winded (praise the lord!) and are therefore both too
complicated and too expensive to use (hallelujah!). And they don't speak to the
user in English, but ITish. Geoff Rees, would-be rocker and also sales director
at Sunrise reckons that the classic CSM product is ideal for "internally
focused" IT guys but is not designed for basic "human" query management - aka,
normal people trying to find out what's happening. As it happens he's correct
and his taste in guitars isn't too shabby either.

The point he makes is that no two customer service departments are the same - it's likely that
agents will use unique terminology and the way a query is handled will also be
very specific to each individual organisation. So, with the Sostenuto solution,
you create the interface to suit the business model, very much like my mates at
Thingamy.com do for general enterprise software. So, the business controls the
software, not the other way around. Which is nice...

And looking outside of the Sostenuto applications -
ITSM and CSM - that have primarily been developed to date, do not that if you
fancy the idea of creating other service management tools that follow the
Sostenuto approach, you can do - just speak nicely to Martin (Devonian lager
lout) Julyan at Sunrise and he'll build one for you. He'll even tell you which
bits of Plymouth and good to live in and which are to avoid and then tell you
to live in Torquay instead. Nothing Fawlty about the software though; check it
out!